The famous Ring Nebula (also catalogued as Messier 57, M57 or NGC 6720) appears in the northern constellation of Lyra. It is a prominent example of a planetary nebula. This is a shell of ionized gas expelled into the surrounding interstellar medium by a red giant star, which was passing through the last stage in its evolution before becoming a white dwarf.
Read more about Ring Nebula: History, Observation, Properties
Famous quotes containing the word ring:
“But whatever happens, wherever the scene is laid, somebody, somewhere, will quietly set outsomebody has already set out, somebody still rather far away is buying a ticket, is boarding a bus, a ship, a plane, has landed, is walking toward a million photographers, and presently he will ring at my doora bigger, more respectable, more competent Gradus.”
—Vladimir Nabokov (18991977)